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Thursday, June 20, 2013

TBR welcomes J.L. Gregor

Why is dieting like solving a murder?

TBR: Welcome to TBR, JL. Will you share a
little bit about yourself?

J.L.: As a biologist and professor emerita of the
University of Wisconsin-Madison, I enjoy putting tidbits of science into her
mystery/suspense novels. So far that’s Coming Flu and Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight. A third is on the way.

J.L.:Dieting is hard, so is fitting into a new job where you
aren’t wanted. Linda Almquist is trying to do both as the new interim associate
dean of a medical school. Linda steps into a battle among the cliques of the
medical school when she checks out allegations against two diet doctors. They
may be endangering the lives of their obese patients by recklessly altering
their patients’ gut bacteria. She soon realizes that’s the least of her
problems when she finds one diet doctor dead. She and the police suspect the
other. Maybe they’re wrong. The murders might be related to something in the
past – something involving her boss the Dean. While Linda fears for her job,
the police fear for her life.

TBR: What inspired you to write about this
theme?

J.L.: Have you ever really thought
about what you see nightly on TV? First, you see ads for restaurants with
mouth-watering dishes. Then come the commercials for weight control regimes and
products. Then more ads for restaurants. The schizophrenic nature of Americans
attitude towards food is funny and sad.

Similarly Americans decry
violence but are fascinated by the gristly details of murder investigations.

The more I thought about it,
the more I saw parallels between dieting and solving a murder (fictional or
real). They’re both hard to do and take patience. Often supposed colleagues
thwart our efforts to diet and the heroine’s efforts to solve the crime.

And then too, Albuquerque has
so many restaurants serving tasty, high-calorie food. It made using food and
dieting logical reoccurring themes throughout the novel.

TBR: Which of your characters would you most or
like to invite to dinner? Why?

J.L.: Dr. Abel Raines. Abel is a
conglomerate of many successful academics, who I’ve known over the years. He’s
brilliant (and knows it) and never stops analyzing others. Thus he’d be an engaging
dinner companion. The conversation would be like playing a game of chess. But I’d
be careful not to fall for his charms (like many ladies do in the novel)
because he’s incapable of taking anyone but himself seriously.

TBR: While creating your books, what was one of
the most surprising things you learned?

J.L.: I didn’t expect to so fully
immerse myself in the action. When I’m writing a scene, I’m not at my computer
in my home but at the scene wherever it is. I see, hear, and smell what the lead
character in the scene does.

The other surprising thing is
my dog Bug. He seldom leaves my side when I’m working at the computer. But he’s
been rewarded. He’s the only non-fictional character in my novels. He plays
himself.

TBR: What’s next for you?

J.L.:In my third novel, Sara
Almquist (the lead in the first novel of this mystery/suspense series Coming Flu and the sister of the heroine
Linda in Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight)
is doing consulting on public health problems in Bolivia. She stumbles across
new dangers, while Linda stays in Albuquerque and battles her nemeses.

TBR: Any other published works?

J.L.:As just mentioned, my first
novel in this series set primarily in New Mexico was Coming Flu.

TBR: Where can readers find you on the web?

J.L.:I have a website (www.jlgreger.com) and a blog called JL Greger’s Bugs
(http//:jlgregerblog.blogspot.com). I also try to do at least four guest blogs
a month so I’m always looking for new sites to visit. Leave me a comment if
you’d like me to visit your site. I like to blog on science issues, like weight
control and science education.

TBR: Is there anything you’d like to ask our
readers?

J.L.:I’m running a contest of
sorts. I’m asking readers to make comments on my home blog and guest blogs.
Their comment should include their preferred name and a way I can contact them,
probably their email address.

On October 1, I’ll gather all
the comments and pull one from the hat. The winner will be named in an upcoming
novel. I included a colleague’s name from my days as a professor at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison in Murder:
A New Way to Lose Weight. He liked meeting his fictional self. I thought
others might too.

1 comment:

I’m running a contest of sorts. On October 1, I’ll gather all the comments from my various blogs and pull one from the hat. The winner will be named in an upcoming novel. So please make a comment and give me a way to reach you.JL Greger

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